07 September 2008

Full term!

Hooray! I am officially "full term" (37 weeks) and we are almost completely set to drop in baby. We had our last shower yesterday, and everyone was more than generous at all 3, I can't say enough thank you's! I am hoping to finish the last of the laundry today, as well as try to finish straightening up the nursery. We put together everything we got yesterday - stroller, pack'n'play, etc. We bought / ordered the last of the big and / or necessary items today, so now its just little things here and there - woohoo!!! Our swing and baby monitors are on their way, the wet bags and diaper pail liner are in transit, and a breastfeeding book is on order. My husband is going to have the car seat base installed in his vehicle probably Tuesday, and will then come home and we'll install the other base in my car - so that will be all set. Our hospital bag has been started, and I am hoping to complete it today, or at least have all the items I have here in it and create a list of what needs to be purchased, as well as the "grab before you go" list. Its really hard to believe its almost here, since September seemed like forever far away.

Anyhow, here is a list of some of the items we got / ordered and why:

Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium Cradle Swing

This swing seemed to get great reviews on every site I looked at (4.5 out of 5 stars at Babies R Us from 691 ratings - seemed a good sample to me!). Apparently it has a light in the mobile and the mobile swings with the swing instead of just spinning. It also has the option to swing both forward and backward as well as side to side, which I was told is perfect. It obviously has various swing speeds and sounds too. The only thing I wish is that it plugged in instead of taking batteries, but you can't win them all!

Graco Ultra Clear II 49mHz Baby Monitor

We're gone back and forth on several different monitors. Some of the things we WANTED: dual monitors, both lights and sounds, rechargeable, good reviews, not super expensive. Some of the things we were not concerned with: video monitors, the angel detection set (pad in crib to detect breathing. We started out looking at the Fisher Price Lights and Sounds - Baby Bargains gave it good reviews, but all the reviews on Target.com were awful. Then we switched to the Sony 900MHz, but then I couldn't find one with 2 handsets and my husband really wants 2. So, back to researching. Finally I found the Graco one, which has lights and sounds, has dual handsets, has great reviews, is not really expensive (~$38) - but takes batteries. Off all the things we wanted, I guess the batteries vs. rechargeable was the easiest to give up. (And I got free shipping - woohoo!) While i can't give a review on these yet, again, most of the online reviews were positive - so I'm satisfied.

GracoSnugride Infant Carseat

It seems the infant seat is better than starting with a convertible seat, since it is built specifically for infants and is therefore safer then a convertible as far as fit. However, this car seat also has a snap n go base so you are not struggling with fastening your child in and getting them out of the car seat through the car door - it seems like it will make moving a baby in and out of the car a lot easier. This was important to me because I've had several parents tell me they had to take car trips to help soothe their child, which means once she's asleep, we can leave her in the carseat when we take her out of the car - and hopefully she keeps sleeping. This also (as noted in my previous posts) fits right into our stroller - again making the transition easy. Baby Bargains gave these a great review as did everyone else I talked to. And ours is really cute! Oh - one more thing, the seat is curved slightly on the bottom so that it can rock when placed on the floor, or you can use the handle to sort of lock it in place.

Playtex Drop-In Bottles

While I know my little Pebbles may decide she does NOT like these, I am really hoping she does. I received one free one in the mail, and my MIL should be getting one in the near future as well. We also picked up another couple which were being clearanced out at a local store - so these kinda chose me. HOWEVER, since they use the disposable liners, I don't have to worry about the whole BPA in the bottle since the liquid will never touch the bottle (and since our daycare is anti-glass bottles). Also, I've seen a variety of reviews where lactation consultants actually recommend these bottles and since we are hoping to do both breast feeding and bottle feeding, it seems like this would be less of a concern when it came to worrying about nipple confusion (or so I hope). Finally, since the bags sort of deflate as the baby drinks, they say there is less gas issues - which of course is a bonus.

Britax Roundabout Convertible Carseat

Once Pebbles is out of her infant seat, we're planning on using this model. Again, Baby bargains gave it great reviews as did everyone online. The roundabout is a little smaller with a slight lower weight limit than the Marathon, but how many 65lb kids still need a carseat (and I have a smaller car so space is an issue. And, of course, they have the most awesome Cowmooflage pattern, and since I love cows, how could I not?

Lansinoh Double Electric Breast Pump

I have to go back to work and since I am hoping to stick with the whole breastfeeding thing, I'll obviously need to pump at work. Most of the recommendations I saw on thenest.com were for the Medela Pump in Style, but the more I researched other sites, the more people I saw give the Lansinoh one excellent reviews (4.5 out of 5 starts on Target.com from 221 reviews), saying it works just as well but is much less expensive. It does NOT come with a tote bag, which for me was a bonus since it allowed me to pick something cute (Small BabySac in pink / black). This one has adjustable speeds and suction, and only has 3 pieces that require washing. The motor and suction tubing are self-contained so yo don't have to worry about getting milk into them. I was also recommended to purchase this at drugstore.com since they seem to have the best price. I don't have this yet since i want to make sure I will need it, but as of now, this is the one I plan to get.

There you have it, my list of items including the reasons we are getting them. I hope to post more of a report of how I like them in the future, after we get to use them of course. Feel free to ask about any of these items or even what we are doing for anything else. Now I'm off to do something a little more production around the house - like start the laundry!

3 comments:

I have many of the same items you've chosen -- the swing, the bottles, the SnugRide carseat -- and we're really happy with all of them. The bottle liners are amazing, and they save so much time; you don't have to worry about sterilizing bottles all the time.

If you don't have the Roundabout already, I recommend going with the Marathon!!! WE got the Roundabout and Miss N outgrew it in height just a couple of weeks ago. I had to spend more money on the Marathon, which DOES fit nicely in my little VW Beetle.

Scentsy ~ Independent Consultant

About Me

I used to hate the idea of being what one would call a "domestic goddess" - cooking, cleaning, sewing, yadda yadda. However, as I grow older I've really learned to enjoy these things .. and yes, I even enjoy cleaning on some days, as long as it doesn't include dishes or laundry. Life sure is strange as a grown-up!